No change: Congress will remain split

Americans are unlikely to change the Congress’ makeup in Tuesday’s election, which is expected to leave Republicans in control of the House of Representatives and Democrats keeping their majority in the Senate.

Americans are unlikely to change the Congress’ makeup in Tuesday’s election, which is expected to leave Republicans in control of the House of Representatives and Democrats keeping their majority in the Senate.

More than $2 billion has been spent on a barrage of negative ads in the fight for Congress, where the entire 435-seat House and 33 of the 100 Senate seats are at stake. No matter who wins the razor-thin race for the White House, the next chief executive will likely face a divided Congress that shows no inclination to end its dysfunction and bridge its ideological chasm. That will make passing any major pieces of legislation difficult.

No matter who gets elected, expectations for the next Congress will be low. A Bloomberg poll in September found that 55% of Americans said Congress will continue to be an impediment no matter who is elected president. Just 32% said Congress would get the message that lawmakers need to work together on a bipartisan basis.